Some of our readers have asked when the Smoke Signals column will be back in print. Today we kick off with a few recent Smokie submissions from readers. If you feel there are wrongs that need righting or something that’s escaped public attention and needs airing, send us a Smokie by email to editor@cookislandsnews.com, or Messenger via Facebook to Cook Islands News. C’mon, Smoke it!

H2O WOES

A smoke signaler writes: I'm one of those horrible swimming pool owners, albeit one with a conscience. I need to fill my pool to restore the effects of evaporation – but when? How do I know? All I hear is to conserve water – I don't even know when the water shortage is 'extreme'. Help us out TTV, let us know when you are flush with water and we can fill pools and wash cars etc…a simple island wide text message will do.

LESS JUNKETS, MORE POLICE

Referring to Monday’s page 2 article on Police training, a smoke signaller writes: “Trevor Pitt as spokesperson for the Police Service, vis-à-vis the Police Minister/PM, states ‘Thirteen police Officers will be part of a two week session to strengthen their capabilities…etc, etc…’. That sounds really grand, and many thanks must go to New Zealand for once again assisting the Cook Islands.  However the reality is that you can run as many retraining/strengthening sessions as you like, but if you are 30 or 40 personnel short in overall numbers on the force, the police will never be able to do their jobs properly, despite their best efforts to cover each shift with few officers. If the PM/Police minister stayed in Rarotonga a little longer from time to time, rather than jetting off to Azerbaijan (or indeed elsewhere), on  expensive and totally useless junkets, and instead put some of those wasted funds and efforts into recruiting more officers, we might actually get somewhere. Do the job you are supposed to do PM, Minister of Police.

FLYING HIGH

Wow, what next? quips a smoke signaller in response to news that Air New Zealand is launching its own wine label, named 1345, to commemorate the distance in miles of the airline’s first flight in 1940 between Auckland and Sydney. “How can any airline with obvious customer service failings  and public relations needs justify launching a wine label?” they ask after their better half queued for two hours at check-in on Saturday in the sticky heat with ‘grumpy Kiwis’, only to learn that the flight to Rarotonga had turned back to Auckland due to a bird strike and was rescheduled six hours later. “That’s a clear lack of good early notice from the airline.”